The government has informed the Rajya Sabha that the new Parliament building, which is being constructed under the Central Vista Redevelopment project, in New Delhi has been designed to withstand very high intensity earthquakes.

Replying to a question in the Upper House of the Parliament on Monday (18 July), Union Minister of State in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs Kaushal Kishore said that the new Parliament building has been designed for "Earthquake Zone V".

As per the seismic zoning map of India, the total area of the country is classified into four seismic zones - Zone II, Zone III, Zone IV and Zone V.

Zone V is seismically the most active region, while zone II is the least.

A total of around 59 per cent of the land mass of India (covering all states of the country) is prone to earthquakes of different intensities.

Approximately 11 per cent area of the country falls in zone V, around 18 per cent in zone IV, 30 per cnet in zone III and remaining in zone II.

"The New Parliament Building has been designed for Earthquake Zone V. There are various parameters available in IS codes and the costing depends on the comprehensive parameters adopted in design," Kishore said.

In response to another question, the minister said that the existing 93-year-old Parliament building is unlikely to comply with the Indian Standard codes for structural safety/durability as the first earthquake code was published in 1962.

He also informed that the National Capital falls under the Earthquake Zone-IV.

"The existing Parliament Building is approximately 93 years old, hence it is unlikely that the building complies with prevailing Indian Standard (IS) codes for structural safety / durability as the first Indian Earthquake code IS-1893 was published in the year 1962. The current version of IS-1983 was published in 2016 in which Delhi falls under Earthquake Zone-IV," the minister said.